The problem is that you must use a smaller CCD sensor, to keep the size and weight of a camera manageable, and packing too many pixels into a smaller sensor would cause poor image quality. So, a larger sensor is needed, and this would result in a larger camera, because thelens must be larger, too - in orderto get the same equivalent focal range (amount of zoom you can use).

I'd suggest looking at Steve's "The Best Cameras" list. He has a category for "10-12x Optical Super Zoom". Make sure to read the Conclusion section of each camera's review carefully. The first part of the reviews appears to betaken from the manufacturers' press releases/feature descriptions, so they are often filled with "Marketing Hype".

If you check the conclusion sections (where you'll see Steve's professional opinion of how these models perform), you'll be able to better gauge how a given camera will work in different condtions. Pay close attention to EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) useability, startup speed, focus speed, low light focus ability, flash range, cycle times (shot to shot times), etc.